Content strategy things and stuff

I have said in posts previous that content is king. Andrew Odlyzko tells me in 2001 that it is not in his paper, aptly titled, “Content is not king.” One of the points Odlyzko makes is that more money gets spent on the systems of delivery than on the very content they deliver: connectivity is more important than content.

To this point, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting informed us via press release that they were spending another $7.74 million to help 85 public radio stations convert to digital. This is in addition to the $220 million already spent on transitioning radio and television to the digital transmission realm. The release quotes CPB President and CEO Patricia Harrison: “Public radio must be equipped to participate fully in the digital revolution … these critical grants will help ensure the success of public radio’s digital transition and new and better radio broadcast service for the communities these stations are connected to.”

How much will the grants total for the content [local or regional or national, original or syndicated] to be broadcast via HD Radio multicasting? If the only thing changing is the manner in which people receive the FM radio signal, has it been money well spent? If content is not to be king, can we at least make it prince, or second heir to the throne?